Fire-escape.



No. 765,726. PATENTED JULY 26, 1904.

T. M. GROWB. FIRE ESCAPE.

APPLIUATION FILED OUT. 6, 1903- no MODEL. I 4

I 4 I f r-i f 3 I Z A1 Am 4 wz'inesses [finial-o f m g 4 /Z" UNITED STATES Patented July 26, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 765,726, dated July 26, 1904. Application filed October 6, 1903. Serial No. 175,915. (No model.)

To all w/mm it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAsM. GROWE, a British subject, residing at Truro, in the county of Golchester, in the Province of Nova Scotia and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Fire-Escape, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to fire-escapes in which a rope is used as a means of descent'from a building; and the objects of my invention are to provide a fire-escape that will be economical to manufacture, of small size, safe and efficient in operation. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a plan of the escape detached from the rope, showing the jaws of the brake open, so that it will move freely on the rope. Fig. 2 is a plan with the rope detached, showing the position of the brake-jaws when they are closed on the same. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the escape complete. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of Fig. 3, showing a part of the rope only. Fig. 5 is an enlarged side elevation of the twisted staple to which the supporting-strap is secured. Fig. 6 is an enlarged section showing the holes f and g when not in alinement. Fig. 7 is an enlarged section of Fig. 2 on line 0 (Z.

Similar characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings, a is the rope, which may be of flexible wire or other material.

I) is an eye formed at the upper end of the rope for the purpose of securing it to the building. It can remain secured to the building, if desired, or can be detached and placed in any convenient place ready to be attached when needed. 7

c and (Z are the jaws of the brake,which are preferably of wood and are about sixteen inches long by two and one-half inches wide and three-quarters thick. They are pivoted together at e by the long arm of the staple 5, which passes through both jaws, the short arm passing through the jaw (Z only. The upper jaw c has a hole f in the center of the size of the rope used. The lower jaw (Z has a similar hole but offset from the hole f when the brake is closed, as shown clearly in Fig. 2, also in Figs. 3, 4, and 6. Each of the jaws c and (Z have hand-holes 7L and handles 7;, and the holes f and 9 should be bushed with some good wearing metal when the jaws are made of wood and are subjected to much wear. When the jaws occupy the position shown in Fig. 1, with the rope passing through the holes f and g, which are then in line with each other, the brake will move freely; but when the jaws are brought toward the position shown in Fig. 2 a shearing movement takes place on the rope in proportion to the closing movement of the jaws and serves as an effectual check on the movement of the brake. 70 is a stout strap suflicient to carry a mans weight safely and is securely and permanently attached to the staple 5.

The method of using the fire-escape is as follows: Secure the brake (which is supposed to be always on the rope) to the body by buckling the attached strap around the body below the armpits. Then grasp both jaws of the brake with the hands by the handles 2' and the handholes 7L and close the brake tight by a hori- Zontal movement of the jaws, having the hand-holes it to the front, so as to protect the knuckles of the hands. Then swing the body clear of the building and slacken the brake according to the speed at which you may wish to descend, the entire weight of the person descending being borne by the brake, leaving the hands free to manipulate the handles.

Having described and illustrated my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, i's' 1. In a fire-escape two brake-jaws pivotally attached with their faces in contact, each jaw having a perforation located to swing into and out of alinement with a similar perforation in the other; substantially as described.

2. In a fire-escape the staple 5, the brakejaws c, and (Z, pivotally attached by said staple having their faces in contact, having the handles c and the hand-holes IL, and having the perforationsf', and Joeated to swing into and out of alinenient With each other, in combination with the suspended rope a, passing through the perforations f and r and a supporting device attached to said staple; substantially as described and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

THOMAS M. GROW'E.

\Vitnesses:

CHAS. A. MCLENNAN, WM. M. FERGUSON. 

